


Townsend Horror Mimic Show

by EveryHybrid



Category: Tales from the Gas Station
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27585281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveryHybrid/pseuds/EveryHybrid
Summary: There's a reason they never made a Jack mimic...
Relationships: Jack/Jerry (Tales From the Gas Station)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Jerry didn't wander through the woods as much as he'd like. Ever since he moved in with Jack, there wasn't much reason for him to stray into the dark shadows of the forest near the compound. Today, he just happened to be feeling nostalgic. 

The empty hull of the Mathmetists' old base of operations loomed against the cloudy sky. Time hadn't been kind to it. Vines and moss clung to the sides, and the sparse windows had been broken out. The front door hung off its hinges, allowing the wood's creatures unadulterated access. A person would have to be crazy to step foot in there. Jerry walked right in.

The old memories that haunted the compound returned like ghosts of old friends. He remembered the smell of maple syrup, the echoing voice of a high ranked member's lecture, the hot, sweaty-  _ squelch.  _

Jerry looked down, pretty sure he'd just stepped in some kind of animal dung. He turned his shoe over and looked perplexed at the black, tarry goo that covered the bottom. There was a large puddle of it on the floor. Whatever animal made this must have gotten into some bad berries or something. Funny enough, it didn't stink. It almost smelled...familiar?

Before Jerry could finish rolling that thought around in his head, a sound like someone imitating radio static broke through the eerie silence of the empty structure. 

"Ruh roh," Jerry said to himself quietly. He was clearly not as alone as he thought he was. He dove for the cover of a nearby cot as something began to shuffle in the darkness. There wasn't much light inside the compound, but he could make out the dark shape that was lurking around at the far end. It moved erratically, twitching and making that static sound every few seconds. The black ooze was coming from that thing...whatever it was.

Jerry figured now was a good time to skidaddle. Clearly the weird forest shit had leaked into the compound and taken over. He crouched as he eyed the door, ready to make a mad dash for it when a familiar voice cut through the air and froze him in his tracks.

" _ Hungry." _

It was immediately followed by the sound of old pots and pans smashing to the floor in the kitchen area, followed up by a wail somewhere between human and abomination. The voice was rough; strained as though making words wasn't natural for the creature. But it was unmistakable to Jerry.

"Jack?" 


	2. Chapter 2

It heard him. Jerry knew because the clattering ruckus in the kitchen came to an abrupt stop. He cautiously peeked over the top of the cot, and a chill ran down his spine. It was stood there in the doorway, staring right at him. 

It had Jack's stature, his face, and his unruly hair. The similarities ended there. Instead of Jack's dark brown eyes, this creature had two, black voids. Jerry would have thought they were holes if not for the shine of the dim light off the empty eyes, black ooze leaking down from them like wet mascara. From the neck down, it was jet black and dripping ink-like tar: the substance Jerry had stepped in. It's hands ended in pointed tips like claws, and its legs ended in two toed feet. 

Those black eyes locked right onto him, and the monster opened it's jagged, sharp toothed mouth to let out another blood curdling cry. 

"Holy shit on a shingle!" Jerry shouted as he scrambled from his hiding spot and ran for the door. The wet slapping of those oozing feet on ground followed him a little too closely until he threw himself out into the daylight and kept going. 

Jerry didn't look back until he'd made it to the road. Whatever that thing was, it hadn't followed him all the way out. He clutched his chest and huffed and puffed, suddenly thankful for his regular cardio routine. He couldn't wait to get home and tell Jack about what he'd found!

As he headed up the road back towards town, something kept nibbling at the back of his mind. Jack…Jack all alone in that empty bunker...Jack hungry and cold...Jack fending for himself and scared. 

What the fuck was he thinking? That thing wasn't Jack. But still...he knew the mimics were a thing. He knew they couldn't help existing. Hell, sometimes they didn't even know they weren't the original. Could that thing have been a mimic? A fucked up one? One of his best friend and boyfriend that didn't know that it wasn't actually Jack? A better question was: Could Jerry continue letting it live all alone out there? 

It wasn't Jack. But it kinda' _looked_ like Jack. It kinda' _sounded_ like Jack. And the more he thought about it, the more it ate him up. Before Jerry knew what he was doing, he was back in town, walking into a grocery store and buying a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and grape jelly.

The next thing he knew, he was back at the compound, steeling his nerves at the door and trying to talk himself out of this stupid idea. All it took was a soft, miserable cry to echo through the stale air inside the bunker, and Jerry couldn't take it anymore. 

"Hey little guy," He cooed as he slowly inched in the door. Jerry spoke as if trying to coax a cat out from under a bed. The mimic was sitting in the middle of the room, its knees pulled up to it's chest. It's head snapped up and towards Jerry in a way that almost made him reconsider. 

"I got some nummies for ya'," Jerry waved the PBnJ he'd made on the return trip around in the air. The mimic Jack gurgled and slowly stood. It began stalking towards him like a tiger on the prowl. _Oh fuck_.

Jerry quickly tore the sandwich in half and launched one piece at the creature. It struck the mimic in the face, and it emitted another static noise and growled. A black, pointed tongue lashed out of it's jagged mouth to lick the splatter of peanut butter off it's cheek. As soon as it realized it had been assaulted with food, mimic Jack descended on the half sandwich like a hungry wolf. The way it scarfed it down made Jerry think it hadn't eaten in a while, and that shot a pang of pity right into his heart. How long had it been living here? 

"Do you like that?" Jerry tried again, "You want some more?" He waved the other half. Mimic Jack was clearly interested. It gurgled, a stream of black goo running from it's mouth, and crept towards Jerry in a crouch. When it was close enough, it swiped the remains of the sandwich from Jerry's hands and stuffed it in its mouth. Those talons on the end of each finger just barely grazed Jerry's skin, leaving cuts.

Jerry quickly withdrew with a yelp of surprise. Blood was already running across his palm. He cursed softly under his breath and held his other hand over the cuts, applying pressure. The mimic trilled softly as it came closer, craning it's neck to look at the damage it had caused. Jerry got the impression that it felt...guilty?

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to." Jerry looked down at the mishapen, tar oozing replica of his boyfriend. "Do, uh, do you wanna' come back home with me?"  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

"You gotta' stay in here. If Jack sees you, he'll flip." 

The walk back to the house had been a long one. Jerry took the Jack mimic the long way to avoid going through town. It was pretty content eating peanut butter straight from the jar with it's hand, leaving black goo mixed in. 

"You can have that," Jerry said, insisting he keep the whole thing. No way he'd want it back. During the trip home, Jerry noticed what looked like bruises on the mimic's face. He asked where they'd come from, but all he got was a bunch of loud, angry static sounds and screeches that he had to quiet down. Fortunately, the mimic seemed to take to him immediately. 

"I'll call you...Jacksonville Towncenter!" Jerry grinned, very pleased with himself. Jackson, for short, tilted his head, then continued lapping at the peanut butter indifferently. Just like the real deal. 

They'd arrived in the yard, and Jerry escorted Jackson to the shed out back, where he was now trying to convince the mimic to stay. Jackson was bent on following Jerry like a lost puppy. His peanut butter covered face and sad, blank eyes weren't helping Jerry's resolve. But he had to put his foot down. 

"Look, I'll bring you some blankets and goodies in a little bit. But if you come inside, the real Jack is gonna' have a stroke." 

The words "real Jack" caused Jackson to screech, and Jerry quickly hushed him. 

"Play nice, or it's right back to the compound. Okay?" He didn't like playing hard ball, but the mimic left him no choice. Jackson grumbled softly and finally relented. He slunk back to the furthest corner of the shed to sulk.

"I'll be back. I promise!" Jerry shut the door and ran inside. Jack, the real one, was curled up on the couch reading. 

"Hey Jerry," He greeted him without looking up. But Jerry's hurried footsteps made his eyes raise over the top of his book. He watched with mild suspicion as Jerry quickly tried to look casual. He was very obviously hiding something. Jack just had to decide if he wanted to ask or not. He decided to not get involved.

"Oh, hey Jackso- Jack. I was just out in the yard chillin', you know. Speaking of chillin', it's kinda cold out. I'm gonna' go grab some blankets, and pillows."

"It's 60 degrees out, Jerry." 

"Yeah, I know, brrrr, right?" 

Jack just rolled his eyes and went back to reading as Jerry ran to the linen closet and snatched up pillows and blankets. It wasn't worth the battle. 

Jerry took his haul back out to the shed to make Jackson a cozy nest to sleep in. Jackson, much like the real Jack, took right to burrowing into the blankets. It was kind of adorable, except for the black goo stains that would probably never come out. 

Jerry stayed with Jackson until it started getting dark. He tried to coax more words out of him, but all Jackson would do is make incoherent noises. Finally, Jerry felt it was time to head in, lest real Jack get suspicious.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning, okay?" Jackson was cleaning the rest of the jelly out of the jar he'd demolished when he looked up. He made a soft trill and moved to stand, as if to follow Jerry.

"No no. Remember the deal," Jerry shook his finger, "Stay here, or stay at the bunker." Jackson deflated and pulled a blanket over his head angrily. Jerry felt guilty as he shut the shed door behind him. It was for the best. He'd tell Jack eventually, but first, he had to make sure Jackson could behave.

Jerry headed inside for his and Jack's weekend movie marathon tradition.

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

This was Jack's happy place: curled up on the couch with Jerry under an electric blanket, sipping hot chocolate, watching dumb stoner comedies. Jerry was showing admirable restraint with the booze tonight. Jack was proud of him. 

Everything felt just right. Until it didn't. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Jack's neck stood on end. His eyes darted to the window at the end of the couch, but he couldn't see anything out there. It was too dark anyway. 

"Hey Jer, do you mind closing the blinds?" Jack asked. He'd already taken off his prosthetic to get comfy. 

"Sure thing, boss!" Jerry stood and went around the living room, closing the blinds on each window. When he got to the one facing the shed, he couldn't help but notice that the shed door, just barely illuminated by the backyard lights, was hanging open. Jackson probably just went out for a little walk, no big deal…

Jerry closed the last set of blinds and silently returned to the couch, suddenly much more sober.

"Something wrong?" Jack tilted his head at him.

"Nah. Just some gas, I think," Jerry blurted. Jack scrunched his nose and withdrew from Jerry a little, just in case. 

After the last movie, they headed back to the bedroom to get ready for bed. Jerry was asleep before Jack was even out of the shower. He wrapped up in a towel and stood over the sink to brush his teeth. He didn't think much of the odds and ends noises the house made at night. It was an old house, after all. He was, however, concerned when he left the bathroom and found a puddle of black tar between the dresser and Jerry's side of the bed. 

"The hell?" Jack snatched his pajamas off the bed and hurriedly put them on. "Jerry, what is that?" 

Jerry groaned softly and dozed off again.

"JERRY!"

"Huh, wha?"

"Why is there black goo on the floor?" 

"There's what?!" Jerry shot straight up and paled visibly as he looked down at the puddle on the floor. How had he gotten inside? The doors were locked and the windows were all shut! Jerry clambered out of bed, carefully avoiding the goo puddle. "I gotta' go check something!" 

"Jerry, what the hell?!" Jack shouted after him as Jerry ran from the room to search the house for the broken mimic. 

"Here Jackson Jackson," He said softly as he crept through the halls, "I gotta' little treat for ya." He'd swiped a protein bar from the kitchen. "Just come on out. I'm not mad, I promise." 

"AAAAAAAAA JERRY!"

His heart skipped a beat at Jack's scream from the bedroom across the house. He threw himself into gear and ran towards it.    
  



	5. Chapter 5

Jerry burst into the bedroom in time to witness what was quite possibly the most horrifying thing he'd seen all week. Jackson, the mimic, was half melting, half shoving himself under the small crack beneath the master bathroom door. His upper torso was almost completely under, black tendrils flying off of his body and under the door as he slowly made his way through the tiny space. The door was absolutely _covered_ in black ooze. 

Inside the bathroom, Jack was screaming. By the way the door kept rattling violently, and the mimic kept shrieking angrily, he was beating the absolute hell out of Jackson with a makeshift weapon. 

"Shit bananas!" Jerry exclaimed. He dove for the mimic and, against his better judgment, wrapped his arms around it's torso and hauled it out from under the door. The task took enough effort to send them both sprawling backwards once Jackson was free. 

Jack flew out of the bathroom to Jerry's rescue and promptly continued beating Jackson with their bedside lamp. Jackson let out a horrific roar, his black tendrils all wrapping around Jack at once. Jack was forced to drop the lamp to prevent one of the appendages from strangling him. 

Jerry lunged at Jackson and wrapped one arm around his neck, then used his other hand to swat the tentacles away from Jack. 

"No! Bad Jackson! Not allowed! Jack is friend, not food."

Surprisingly, the mimic actually listened to him. Jackson's tendrils withdrew and he let out a soft whimper at Jerry's scolding. 

"What the hell did you just call that thing?" Jack got his breath back. 

"Aw, it's okay buddy, you were just scared, huh?" Jerry was cooing at the monster again.

"I'm sorry. I feel like I'm missing something here. Jerry, what the _fuck_ is going on?"

Jerry stood and sheepishly avoided Jack's accusing gaze. "Well...you remember when you said you wanted a dog?"

"Jerry."

"And also that you may want kids some day?"

"Jerry, no."

"Well, Jackson is neither of those things, but he really needed a place to stay. Please Jack? He was so lonely and hungry and cold out there by himself. I'm sure he didn't _mean_ to attack you."

Jack's face fell into his palm. "We can't keep it."

"He's not an it," Jerry insisted. Jack looked down at the mimic sitting on the floor behind Jerry's legs. The one that was currently giving him a death glare. 

"Fine. _He_ can't stay here. He could kill someone." Jack's instinct was to build a burn pile out back and throw the mimic in, but he didn't think that suggestion would go over well. "Why don't you just...take him for a nice long car ride, and let him go far, far away from town."

A loud screech of protest erupted from the mimic. "It's okay, Jackson," Jerry knelt down to reassure him, "I wouldn't do that."

"You named it?!"

"Of course. His name is Jacksonville Towncenter."

Jackson was clearly eating Jerry's attention up. He whimpered and leaned into him as Jerry gave him a hug. Jack rolled his eyes. The manipulation was so blatantly obvious. 

"Please Jack." Jack looked down to see Jerry giving him puppy eyes. Ah fuck. "Give him a chance. He just needs time to adjust." Jack clenched his jaw.

"Fine," He said through gritted teeth. This wasn't going to end well. But Jerry wouldn't let this go until he saw for himself what a bad idea it was. Just like the pet boar. And the pet skunk. And the pet forest gremlin. 

"Thanks Jack! You're the best!" Jerry leapt up to give Jack a kiss. When he moved away, Jack briefly caught the look of burning hatred on the mimic's face.


	6. Chapter 6

Jerry insisted on making Jackson comfortable for the duration of their "family meeting". He set the mimic up on the couch with a tarp to prevent black stains. He gave it Jack's electric blanket, much to Jack's protest, and fixed him a mug of hot chocolate. Finally, he came into the kitchen where Jack was sitting, arms crossed and frowning, at the kitchen table.

"Why does it look like that?"

_ "He _ ."

"I thought they couldn't make mimics of me because of my brain or whatever. And I thought they had to use  _ my  _ body."

Jerry shrugged. "Maybe he was a prototype."

"That would mean he's been around for, what,  _ a year _ ? Two? Where's he been this whole time?"

"I dunno. I found him hanging out at the Mathmetists church. He didn't look so hot. He was all bruised up and he was looking for food." 

Jack refused to feel sorry for the clone that had tried to murder him only half an hour ago. "I mean, yeah, that sucks, but I don't think keeping him here is a good idea. What if he goes off again? What if Spencer or someone comes around looking for him?"

There was a shrill cry from the other room. Jackson suddenly appeared in the doorway, tendrils flailing. 

"Oh, hey, it's okay buddy," Jerry immediately went into that voice one used to comfort an upset child. "We're just talking. Ol' Spencer's not gonna' get ya'."

Jackson whimpered and fed on the affection like a vampire.

"Does he know Spencer?"

There was another loud shriek at the name. Jack took that as a "yes". It occurred to him that, if Spencer had free access to a clone that looked vaguely like Jack, one that could self heal, he'd probably happily use it as his favorite punching bag. 

Jack couldn't let himself feel sorry for the mimic. He  _ couldn't _ . But he could still feel the twinge of pity rising in his stomach. 

Jerry was petting the mimic's hair and shooshing him. Finally, he got Jackson cooled down enough to return to the couch. 

"See? He's not so bad," Jerry said as he returned to the table, "He's just...got a few messed up brain cogs."

"I guess that makes two of us," Jack muttered. 

"So can he stay?" 

Jack sat with his arms crossed, trying his best to not let Jerry's puppy eyes break him.

"Fine," He finally broke eye contact. "But he better be house trained. And he needs to get that oozing thing under control. And if he keeps giving me murder eyes, he's out of here."

Jerry woo-hoo'd and ran into the living room to tell Jackson the deal. "Hey, where'd he go?" The blanket and tarp nest was empty. Jack came out to look as well. A splotch of black on the wood floor caught his eye. It was leading to the bedroom.

When they pushed open the door, they found the mimic just as he pulled one of Jack's hoodies over his head. He'd found a pair of Jack's jeans, which were now drenched in black goo, and had put them on as well. 

"Aww, he wants to be like you, Jack," Jerry said with a big smile. 

_ No _ , Jack thought,  _ He wants to  _ **_replace_ ** _ me. _


	7. Chapter 7

Jack didn't get much sleep that night knowing that that _thing_ was lurking around the house. Jerry insisted on letting Jackson sleep in the guest bedroom, but Jack doubted the mimic would actually stay there. 

The trail of black goo all around the house the next morning confirmed that suspicion. It seemed that Jack's clone also suffered from insomnia, and liked to wander at night. Jack was sure to make Jerry clean up the mess, since Jackson was explicitly _his_ responsibility, per the agreement. Jerry then spent the next day trying to teach Jackson to not goo everywhere while Jack was at work. 

Jack came home to a surprisingly clean house and Jackson sitting in his spot on the couch. Jack slowly set his backpack down and looked around the living room. 

"Where's Jerry?" He asked the clone. Jackson tore his eyes from the TV and glared at Jack.

" _Mine,_ " He growled in a forced, gravelly voice that sounded like Jack with a sore throat. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. You're doing the whole 'jealous girlfriend' because you think you're me. But you aren't," Jack wasn’t sure where this sudden boldness was coming from. He wouldn't normally be so mean, but then again, this thing was trying to take Jerry from him. "You're just a cheap imitation. A mimic. He'll never love _you_ like he loves _me_." 

Jack had stepped on the wrong nerve. The clone was on its feet in a second, black tendrils flailing angrily. It stalked towards Jack with a sneer on its face. "You mimic. _Me_ Jack." 

"Oh shit." 

Jack dove for the media stand to take cover from the several dozen globs of black goo thrown his way. He made a mad dash for the backdoor as Jackson lashed out with several tarry appendages. Luckily, this mimic wasn't quite as fast as some of the others had been. Jack slammed the door behind him just as the tentacles crashed into the glass pane. 

"Jerry!" He screamed into backyard, the daylight fading. His only answer was the angry roar behind him as Jackson stormed out of the house, his black body writhing with furious worms. Oh shit. Oh fuck. He'd really done it now. 

Jack did the only thing that made sense: he ran. He made his way into the treeline behind the house. The dark woods strangled out the dying light of the sunset. Normally, he would have never stepped foot into the woods at night. But this wasn't exactly an ideal circumstance. 

His breaths turned heavy as he hauled ass through vines and downed trees. He cursed himself for not doing cardio with Jerry. He should be used to running for his life by now!

Jackson didn't need to dodge obstacles. He split apart as the trees came at him, moving around them, through them, between them, under them. He was gaining ground fast.

Jack screamed as a tendril wrapped around his leg, bringing him down to the ground hard. Jackson wasted no time pummeling him with fists, claws, teeth, and everything he had. Jack tried to fight back, but he knew from experience that winning against this thing would be all but impossible. Finally, he cried out.

"He'll know it was you!" Jack shouted over the angry screeches. Jackson suddenly stopped, and Jack could tell he'd won himself some time. He spat out a mouthful of blood and continued. "If you kill me, Jerry will know it was you," he croaked. "He'll never forgive you. Hell, he'll probably kill you."

Jackson growled softly, but didn't continue the assault.

"We can just go back now, pretend this didn't happen, and you can stop being an _absolute psychopath._ " 

Jackson's tendrils slowly, reluctantly, retreated. He narrowed his eyes at Jack and turned to stalk back towards the house. Jack gingerly picked himself up off the ground. He was bleeding from the multitude of gashes left by the monster, and he'd be sure to have a new set of fresh bruises in a few hours. Slowly, he began to make his way home.

By the time he arrived back at the house, staggering and pale from the blood loss, Jackson had already slithered back into the guest bedroom to sulk. Jack knew by the fresh, black trail that led there.

Jerry came in the front door just as Jack was about to collapse on the living room floor. As soon as he saw the state Jack was in, he cursed and dropped the grocery bags he'd been carrying. "Jacky boy? What happened?" 

Jack glanced down the hall at the guest bedroom door, which was now cracked open with a single, black eye glaring at him from the darkness within. A chill ran up his spine.

"I was attacked by a monster, er, in the woods." That wasn't technically a lie. Jerry helped him to the kitchen to sit him down and get a better look at his wounds. Fortunately, they kept a fully stocked first aid kit for situations such as this. 

Jerry helped Jack out of his eviscerated shirt and froze at the sight of the claw marks torn in his skin. Jack could tell Jerry had put two and two together.

"Jackson did this?" He breathed softly, as if he couldn't fathom the possibility of his pet murder clone trying to _murder_ someone. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but just as he did, Jackson came running into the kitchen, crying.

He immediately grabbed on to Jerry's arm, like Jerry was a rock in a raging river. The clone sobbed loudly and tried to pull Jerry away from Jack. There was something different about Jackson since Jack had seen him fifteen or so minutes ago. His head and face looked like he'd lost a fight to a bulldozer. 

Jerry was confused now. "What happened, Jackson?" Jackson cried and pointed accusingly at Jack. Jerry glanced between them.

"I didn't touch him!" Jack snapped. " _He_ came after _me_!" He couldn't believe that Jerry was even considering this. But Jackson was still pulling him away, towards the guest bedroom up the hall. Jack got up and staggered after them to witness this nonsense first hand.

As soon as they arrived in the doorway, Jack knew. He knew his credibility had been sliced in half. The bedroom was destroyed. Blood and black tar was splattered everywhere. In the center of the gruesome scene, Jack's baseball bat laid, bloody, on the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

Jerry was quiet as he helped Jack clean up and apply fresh bandages. Jack knew this silence meant that Jerry was having uncharacteristicly serious thoughts. Finally, Jack couldn't take it anymore and broke the silence.

"Jerry-"

"I know," Jerry interrupted before Jack could say his part.

"You do?"

"Yeah. You don't like Jackson, and you don't want him around. And if you're going to make me choose between you, of course I'm going to choose you." He looked up at Jack with watery eyes. "I just want to know why. Why can't you stand him? I know he's a mimic and all, but so is Benji, and you don't go around smashing  _ his _ face up with a bat."

"WHOA, hold on! Let's set this straight.  _ I _ didn't attack him. He tried to kill me  _ again _ when I got home from work. He's manipulating you, Jerry."

Jack watched Jerry's face for signs that he believed him. But Jerry remained unreadable. "You want him gone, right? I'll...take him back out to the woods." 

"I'll come too," Jack said, sensing that Jerry would need the emotional support. And possibly physical support should the mimic lash out. Jerry nodded and stood, put the medical supplies away, and left the room.

Less than an hour later, they were all three in the car. Jerry had lured the mimic into the passenger seat with promises of drive thru fast food to "smooth this whole thing over". Jackson clearly thought Jerry could do no wrong, and fell for it with the unbridled trust of a child. That somehow made this whole thing worse. 

Jackson didn't even question why they were driving away from town. Jerry was driving, and Jerry could be trusted. Jackson didn't question when they pulled over on the side of the road, and Jerry got out. Jackson didn't question when Jerry opened his door and beckoned him out too. 

"I got something to show ya', come on." 

Jackson hopped out, munching on his fries, and silently followed Jerry without so much as looking back. Jack was suddenly struck with horrible guilt. He couldn't put a finger on why, though. This guy had tried to kill him twice, was out to replace him, and tried to turn Jerry against him. Why did leaving him out here, where Jerry had found him in the first place, seem so  _ wrong _ . 

Jerry came running back to the car minutes later, jumped in, and sped away. He'd told Jackson that he needed to pee. The mimic probably wouldn't catch on for another few minutes. Jack crawled into the front passenger seat and offered his best condolences. He could tell Jerry was upset. But this was for the best...wasn't it?


	9. Chapter 9

The rain had already started by the time they got home. It was late, and the sun had long since gone down. The temperature had dropped drastically. Jack cursed whatever cruel weather deity thought this shit was funny. 

He could tell Jerry was thinking the same thing he was: Jackson was probably drenched with ice cold rain by now. Jack tried to push the thought from his mind as he got ready for bed. Jerry was already under the covers when Jack crawled into the warm, comfortable bed. 

He laid awake for several hours. He listened to the rain, praying, willing, hoping for it to stop. Instead, it steadily turned into sleet. Then, around early morning, it turned into hail.

 _For fucks sake._ Jack sat up. "Jerry?"

"Hm?" He was already awake. Jack bit his lip.

"Do you wanna'...go get him?" 

Jerry sat up. Jack noticed the dark, wet spot on his pillow. He wiped his eyes and looked at Jack. "Yeah."

It didn't take them long to pull their clothes on and get in the car. Jerry had clearly been on the same train of thought. Jack doubted he slept at all. 

They sped down the road, hail pelting the roof of the old beater loudly. Jack had to ask Jerry to slow down several times for fear of black ice on the roads. Finally, they were right back where they'd left the mimic. Jack's heart sank. 

Jackson was right there, sat on the side of the road. It was clear he'd been waiting, hoping they'd come back. The mimic's small frame was covered in ice. His clothes were frozen solid, his hair was plastered to his face and frozen down. 

Jack and Jerry both jumped out of the car and ran to him. Jackson could only make a small grunt to acknowledge their appearance. It was very possible that his blood and muscles were frozen solid as well. If he were human, he would be dead. 

Getting him into the car was harder than they thought. Hail pelted them both as they lifted the mimic shaped ice cube into the back seat. Jack crawled in with him to ensure he wouldn't go flying should Jerry need to hit the breaks. 

Once they were inside and Jerry had the heat blasting, they began the drive home. Jack used a spare towel to try and work the layer of ice off of Jackson's skin. There were small ridges that led down his cheeks from his eyes. Jack recognized them as frozen tears. Suddenly, he felt like the biggest piece of shit within a ten mile radius. 

As soon as they arrived home, Jack went to run a hot bath. They hauled Jackson, now slightly more flexible, into the tub, clothes and all. It took at least an hour of pouring warm water over the mimic's head, emptying the cold tub and refilling it, and repeating, before Jackson was thawed enough to move around almost normally. Jerry got him out and dried him off. Jack brought him fresh, dry clothes. 

Finally, they were able to take up residence on the couch and talk. 

"I'm sorry," Jack said, having decided to be the bigger man, "I shouldn't have said what I said yesterday. You deserve respect like any other person."

Jackson was still trembling slightly, his eyes glued to the floor. "Sorry," He croaked. He couldn't force out enough words to say the whole thing, but Jack knew what he meant.

"Apology accepted. Are...we good now?"

Jackson nodded. Jerry, overwhelmed with glee, pulled them all together into a big group hug. "Aww, you guys! I'm gonna' cry again!"

Ever since that night, Jack and Jackson were able to put their differences, and similarities, aside. Jackson seemed to be operating with a childlike mind. They figured out that the jealousy he felt towards Jack stemmed from the fear that he would lose the first person to be nice to him: Jerry. It was never about _stealing_ Jerry. He just wanted some affection and attention. 

They worked on Jackson's jealousy issues and communication skills. It was clear that neither the Collector, nor Spencer, had taken the time to teach him to read and write. Big surprise there. It wasn't a fairy tale ending; they still had a lot of work to do and many mountains to crest. But, they were a family now. Sometimes, a family was two gas station boyfriends and a murder clone they found in the woods. 


End file.
